Gloucester County has had some big news in 2015. Here are the top 5 stores of the year.
It's been a busy year in Gloucester County. From notable court cases to the tragic death of a young football star, a few stories stand out as the most important in the county in 2015.
'Blue Hole' quarry claims a life: Monroe Township's blue hole has long been a temptation for young swimmers on a hot summer day. This past July, a group of those kids were exploring the former quarry when Darius Boyer, a 17-year-old Williamstown High School student and athlete. Boyer's death drew further attention to the danger of swimming in deceptively dangerous quarries.
Former cop found guilty of murder: James Stuart stood trial this September for the 2013 shooting death of his friend David Compton, 27. Stuart maintained through the trial that the shooting was an accident after a night of drinking, while prosecutor's argued that it was murder. After a two-week trial and 2 1/2 days of jury deliberations Stuart was found guilty of murder and aggravated manslaughter.
'Macroburst' storm causes Macro trouble: Some thought it was a tornado.
A massive storm, later determined to be a 'macroburst' system, tore through Gloucester County in the evening of June 23.In just an hour the 85-mile-per-hour winds downed trees, ripped roofs off of businesses and homes and knocked power out to hundreds of thousands of homes, causing about $20 million in damages throughout the state. It took weeks for power to be restored to everyone and some are still dealing with the storm's damage. FEMA funding is on the way for some municipalities affected.
Former cop found not guilty of misconduct: When Assemblyman Paul Moriarty was pulled over and arrested on drunk driving charges in 2012 it set off a political spider web that finally came to an end this year when the officer who pulled him over was found not guilty of official misconduct. Moriarty's charges were dropped in 2013 after dash cam video from DiBounaventura's police cruiser showed that he lied about his reasoning for pulling Moriarty over. It wasn't enough to convict him of official misconduct, however, as a jury found him not guilty after a month-long trial.
Deptford's long-awaited splash pad opens: Yes, we did have some good news in Gloucester County this year. Deptford Township opened a new splash pad at Fasola Park. A water attraction at a public park might not seem like the biggest deal, but the new splash pad and other improvements at the park -- including a reconfigured main roadway, a new walking path, lighting and softball fields -- were huge for Deptford Township and surrounding neighborhoods. Despite a few breakdowns over the summer, the splash pad turned out to be a big success in its first year.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.